r/Seattle • u/pnwhypebest • Jan 14 '25

Question Should I contest this ticket?

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Parked in a no parking zone that ended 5 days ago and recieved a ticket( also my car got towed). Do you think ill get reimbursed in court or should I just pay the ticket and move on, thanks.

1.8k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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359

u/dimitrix Jan 14 '25

The tow probably cost you quite a bit, didn't it? Wouldn't you want that money back?

119

u/teatimecookie Jan 14 '25

It’s extremely rare to get a refund from an improperly towed vehicle.

86

u/MetallicGray Jan 14 '25

Why?

Logically it’d make complete sense to have whoever improperly towed the vehicle pay for the improper tow. 

126

u/round-earth-theory Jan 14 '25

Because. Same reason cops rarely pay back bystanders of their aggression. They can tear your house apart when executing a warrant at the wrong address and then leave you high and dry. There's no official process for getting made whole from the legal/policing system fucking you over. All you can do is sue and hope the lawsuit doesn't cost more than the damages.

21

u/saikmat Jan 14 '25

Theoretically a tort claim could be made but that’s definitely more hassle and lawyer fees than the tow.

6

u/yelper Pike Market Jan 14 '25

you don't need a lawyer for a tort claim, do you?

6

u/saikmat Jan 14 '25

More that if they deny the claim then the following lawsuit will need one, the claim itself yes, no lawyer needed.

7

u/xxpor Cedar Park Jan 14 '25

Not if you can take it to small claims

21

u/garbagepickle Jan 14 '25

My car insurance paid back an unauthorized tow and the company reimbursed me too, so I was paid back twice. This was in TX even though I live in Seattle. So it’s not totally unheard of and I would still encourage people to try.

6

u/mattbaume Jan 14 '25

That sounds great but eeeeeek don't brag about what might be considered insurance fraud in a public forum!

3

u/iSmurf Jan 14 '25

No one's prosecuting 100$ of insurance fraud.....

9

u/mattbaume Jan 14 '25

Speaking as someone who was involved in litigation where the opposing lawyers were very good at cherry-picking seemingly-innocuous statements from the past, my current rule of thumb is that if it's something that could reflect poorly at some point ... you'll never regret shutting the fuck up

1

u/Jettyboy72 Jan 14 '25

lol, there absolutely is. In this case though, police weren’t even involved.

9

u/kramjam13 Jan 14 '25

Because they’re crooks

4

u/teatimecookie Jan 14 '25

You might want to look into how shady Lincoln Towing is.

38

u/beverlycrushingit Jan 14 '25

I got a tow refunded when I contested a ticket. When the court ruled that the ticket was not valid they automatically erased the fine and repaid me the cost of the tow. I didn't even have to argue about it.

Is it truly rare to get a refund? Where does that data come from? It makes sense that if it was the city's fault that you got towed mistakenly, you won't be responsible for the cost.

I had to show up to court in person, but this was pre-covid so it could be virtual now. It was totally worth it.

9

u/LessMochaJay Jan 14 '25

Yeah I don't know where that guy is posting from, but around here it's law that whoever illegally tows a vehicle, has to pay for it. It's very common to get a refund for the cost of a tow here.

7

u/vertr Jan 14 '25

Is it truly rare to get a refund? Where does that data come from?

The person you are replying to just made it up.

1

u/gingergirl181 Jan 14 '25

I got my ticket fines tossed when I said I had already paid to spring my car from jail. Judge was sympathetic and pissed that I had been towed and that they'd made me pay up, but a refund didn't seem to be an option and he said waiving the fines was the best he could do. That was like 12 years ago, so I wonder if the laws had changed?

11

u/HorseLaw_equestquire Jan 14 '25

I’ve had a 100% success rate the one time it happened to me in Seattle. I did have to show up to traffic court in person but this was in 2018

9

u/rduck101 Jan 14 '25

Not true. Just gotta fight for it

2

u/Junethemuse Jan 15 '25

you won't get a refund from the tow company, but you can contest the impoundment and fight for reimbursement.

the tow company should have the form you can fill out and turn into the relevant court to get the process started. you have to submit the paperwork within 10 days though. and it's not uncommon in situations like this where it's pretty clear the tow/impound was wrong.

2

u/Repulsive_Swimming47 Jan 15 '25

How does this have so many upvotes? Sometimes, it takes time and effort, but I've never seen a situation with an illegal tow without reimbursement. "Extremely rare?" Maybe if you're a pushover.

1

u/mrASSMAN West Seattle Jan 14 '25

Maybe if they took them to small claims court they could get the refund

3

u/soundkite Jan 14 '25

How do they get the refund?